Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Ironsmith Coffee owner shot in neck and face

After he tells customer to leave Encinitas shop

J'Mar Tarafa on his Facebook page
J'Mar Tarafa on his Facebook page

Jmar Teyvan Tarafa, 31, is now held without bail, after he allegedly tried to shoot an Encinitas coffee shop owner point-blank in the face, according to statements by a prosecutor late yesterday, October 17, 2022.

Prosecutor Helen Kim said the owner of Ironsmith Coffee Roasters told Tarafa to leave his shop, because Tarafa had previously stolen something from the shop. Tarafa became angry and “a verbal argument followed,” according to a news release from the San Diego County Sheriff.

Tarafa did leave the coffee shop, but he hid in the alley behind the store, and then he attacked the owner when he came out a back door, prosecutor Kim told a judge. The shop owner was thrown to the ground and he was face up when Tarafa straddled him. The shop owner was able to pull out a gun and “The two were fighting for the gun,” prosecutor Kim said. Tarafa got control of the gun and aimed it point blank at the man’s face or head, it is alleged.

The gun fired, and bullet fragments entered the shop owner’s head and neck, and other shrapnel went into the leg of a bystander. “The victim got bullet fragments removed from his head and neck, another victim had bullet fragments removed from his calf,” prosecutor Kim told a judge. (The sheriff’s statement characterized these as “minor injuries.”)

Sponsored
Sponsored

Prosecutor Kim said this fracas happened “in broad daylight in front of a lot of people.” The confrontation happened about 8 a.m. on Thursday October 13, 2022, according to the sheriff’s statement.

Ironsmith Coffee Roasters

The injured shop owner was able to run down the street, from the coffee shop in the 400 block of South Coast Highway 101, to a fire station at 415 2nd Street, approximately one long block away, in the coastal community of Encinitas.

The prosecutor said Tarafa chased the injured man and continued to point the gun at him.

“Firefighters encountered the suspect and detained him,” the sheriff’s statement declared.

Tarafa was first held in lieu of $180,000 bail. After the prosecutor’s statements, judge Adelaide Lopez agreed that Tarafa should be held without bail. The judge said, “This is acts of violence on another person, which could result in great bodily injury on others.”

(Judge Lopez was appointed to the bench last June by Gov. Gavin Newsom; previously she was a public defender.)

Jmar Teyvan Tarafa, 31, is described in jail records as a black male, 6 feet 2 inches tall and 170 pounds. He made a startling appearance when he was first brought into court yesterday, wearing a huge afro which looked like a lion’s mane, the long dark curls were bleached to a pale blonde at the tips.

In different photos on his Facebook page, Jmar Tarafa has shorter hair. In his Facebook postings Tarafa has described himself as “homeless” and in one Facebook post from 2019, Tarafa announced that he had just moved to Los Angeles.

Jmar Teyvan Tarafa was next due in court on Oct 26, to confirm a date for the prosecutor to present evidence. Tarafa pleaded not-guilty to six felonies, including attempted murder and assault with a firearm. There is bodyworn camera video evidence in this case.

“At this time, the owner of the coffee shop is not facing any charges,” the Sheriff’s statement declared.

The latest copy of the Reader

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Gonzo Report: Hockey Dad brings UCSD vets and Australians to the Quartyard

Bending the stage barriers in East Village
Next Article

Aaron Stewart trades Christmas wonders for his first new music in 15 years

“Just because the job part was done, didn’t mean the passion had to die”
J'Mar Tarafa on his Facebook page
J'Mar Tarafa on his Facebook page

Jmar Teyvan Tarafa, 31, is now held without bail, after he allegedly tried to shoot an Encinitas coffee shop owner point-blank in the face, according to statements by a prosecutor late yesterday, October 17, 2022.

Prosecutor Helen Kim said the owner of Ironsmith Coffee Roasters told Tarafa to leave his shop, because Tarafa had previously stolen something from the shop. Tarafa became angry and “a verbal argument followed,” according to a news release from the San Diego County Sheriff.

Tarafa did leave the coffee shop, but he hid in the alley behind the store, and then he attacked the owner when he came out a back door, prosecutor Kim told a judge. The shop owner was thrown to the ground and he was face up when Tarafa straddled him. The shop owner was able to pull out a gun and “The two were fighting for the gun,” prosecutor Kim said. Tarafa got control of the gun and aimed it point blank at the man’s face or head, it is alleged.

The gun fired, and bullet fragments entered the shop owner’s head and neck, and other shrapnel went into the leg of a bystander. “The victim got bullet fragments removed from his head and neck, another victim had bullet fragments removed from his calf,” prosecutor Kim told a judge. (The sheriff’s statement characterized these as “minor injuries.”)

Sponsored
Sponsored

Prosecutor Kim said this fracas happened “in broad daylight in front of a lot of people.” The confrontation happened about 8 a.m. on Thursday October 13, 2022, according to the sheriff’s statement.

Ironsmith Coffee Roasters

The injured shop owner was able to run down the street, from the coffee shop in the 400 block of South Coast Highway 101, to a fire station at 415 2nd Street, approximately one long block away, in the coastal community of Encinitas.

The prosecutor said Tarafa chased the injured man and continued to point the gun at him.

“Firefighters encountered the suspect and detained him,” the sheriff’s statement declared.

Tarafa was first held in lieu of $180,000 bail. After the prosecutor’s statements, judge Adelaide Lopez agreed that Tarafa should be held without bail. The judge said, “This is acts of violence on another person, which could result in great bodily injury on others.”

(Judge Lopez was appointed to the bench last June by Gov. Gavin Newsom; previously she was a public defender.)

Jmar Teyvan Tarafa, 31, is described in jail records as a black male, 6 feet 2 inches tall and 170 pounds. He made a startling appearance when he was first brought into court yesterday, wearing a huge afro which looked like a lion’s mane, the long dark curls were bleached to a pale blonde at the tips.

In different photos on his Facebook page, Jmar Tarafa has shorter hair. In his Facebook postings Tarafa has described himself as “homeless” and in one Facebook post from 2019, Tarafa announced that he had just moved to Los Angeles.

Jmar Teyvan Tarafa was next due in court on Oct 26, to confirm a date for the prosecutor to present evidence. Tarafa pleaded not-guilty to six felonies, including attempted murder and assault with a firearm. There is bodyworn camera video evidence in this case.

“At this time, the owner of the coffee shop is not facing any charges,” the Sheriff’s statement declared.

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

East San Diego County has only one bike lane

So you can get out of town – from Santee to Tierrasanta
Next Article

Memories of bonfires amid the pits off Palm

Before it was Ocean View Hills, it was party central
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader